Kaktovik, AK
Kaktovik, AK's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Kaktovik at the 5th national percentile for risk to structures, among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a score built from 171 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Kaktovik's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 6th percentile nationally.
Where Kaktovik's buildings actually sit
171 buildings are counted in Kaktovik, and 57.9% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 42.1% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
Kaktovik against the rest of the country
Kaktovik's risk sits at a similar level relative to Alaska (0th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (5th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Kaktovik ranks 30,024 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 25,970 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alaska alone, it ranks 321 of 322 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alaska on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Kaktovik
Kaktovik's low rating (5th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
Kaktovik's 57.9% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Kaktovik's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Kaktovik's 30,024-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Kaktovik's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.